


Complicated

by Anthimeriate



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 23:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3828145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthimeriate/pseuds/Anthimeriate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ruby and Sapphire spend some time with Steven for his birthday, but there are a few things that have been on his mind lately. Who better to ask questions about fusions and relationships than these two?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Complicated

**Author's Note:**

> My first finished foray into the Steven Universe fandom. An idea I wanted to get out before I continue working on some longer things I have going on. Hope you all enjoy it!

“Hey guys, can I ask you a question?”

It was getting late, and Sapphire had noticed Steven’s expression getting more and more distant as the evening went on. Twice in a row now Ruby had easily defeated him in the video game they were playing, which she had been frustratingly terrible at when they’d first come upstairs after he’d eaten his cake. Her triumphant laughter died down as she turned her head to look at him.

“Of course you can.” Sapphire moved down from her spot on his bed to sit between the two of them. Ruby shifted to give her more space, and frowned. “Yeah. What’s wrong, buddy?”

“What’s it like for you guys, when you’re Garnet?”

Ruby blinked. “What do you mean?”

“What does it feel like? Do you ever… lose yourselves? Like with Sugilite?”

Sapphire thought for a moment, biting her lip. “Sometimes, kind of,” she admitted. “But not in the same way as Sugilite. That’s bad. This kind of losing yourself… It’s good. For us. Like how it’s supposed to be.”

“Yeah,” added Ruby, “If we… if she focuses on it, we kind of come back. Nothing’s really lost. Just… kinda blurry.”

“It’s hard to explain,” the blue gem admitted.

“Garnet told me she’s never lonely. Because she’s you guys.” He looked like was going to say more, but instead closed his mouth into a firm line.

Sapphire frowned. Even with her foresight, she wasn’t sure what the boy was getting at. “What’s bothering you, Steven?”

He sighed heavily, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms protectively around them. “When Connie and I fused… It felt really weird. And it was kind of a nice weird, and fun at first, but… In the end it was kind of sad. We both felt really alone, even though we were both there.”

“We’ve been mostly fused for a long time. It’s how we prefer it, you know? We’re not lonely if we’re together.” Ruby smiled confidently at him, hoping to ease his fears. But Steven shook his head.

“I know you guys really love each other. I know you guys must not be lonely…” The boy’s face contorted, struggling to find the words he wanted. “Like… I feel like maybe I could tell what Stevonnie felt, in the end… Separate from me or Connie. Like the two of us were making another person… But also not…”

Sapphire placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry… If you don’t like how fusing made you feel, you don’t have to do it.”

“Yeah, of course not!” Ruby added, “And there are different types of fusing, they kind of have a different feel, you know?”

Steven shook his head, frustration with not being able to find the right words evident on his face. “No, I liked fusing! I mean, I think I did…” He paused, looking up to face the two gems with a grimace. “But I don’t mean me. I just mean… Does Garnet really not get lonely? Like Stevonnie did? I just… I love her so much. I don’t want her to feel like that all the time.”

“Oh, Steven,” Sapphire replied, squeezing his shoulder lightly, “You don’t need to worry about her. Of course she gets lonely sometimes, everyone does. But she meant that she always has us… That she’s made of us, and since we’re never alone, she isn’t either.”

“And she’s got her fellow crystal gems, right?” Ruby added, grinning at him and giving him a playful punch.

“...Right.” The boy’s expression lightened slightly, the crack of a smile coming and going as he hazarded a glance downstairs, towards the kitchen. He hesitated, then bit his lip. “Will you guys get mad if I ask you about… adult stuff?”

Ruby’s eyes widened. “Adult stuff?!”

“Not like--” he stammered, blushing slightly, “I mean just… Stuff I think I’m not supposed to know about.” 

“We won’t get mad,” Sapphire promised, “You know you can ask us anything. You can ask Garnet anything, too, she’ll always do her best to answer your questions how she sees appropriately.”

His eyes nervously slid back towards the empty kitchen, the anxiety coming off of him palpable. “Do you… Does Garnet…” His mouth hung open for a minute, then he shut it and shook his head, stopping to focus hard on the floor in front of him. “Never mind.” 

Sapphire’s expression softened further, realization of where this was all going finally hitting her. “It’s okay to notice things, Steven,” she assured him, “And it’s okay to be concerned about the people you love. You don’t have to be ashamed or scared of that.”

“And it’s okay to actually ask questions, so that I can know what’s going on too,” Ruby said jokingly, hoping levity might lighten the mood. But Steven’s demeanor didn’t change in the slightest.

“Go ahead,” Sapphire encouraged him, shifting her hand to rub his back. “I already know what you’re going to ask. And don’t worry, she’s not going to hear you. She and Amethyst went out to the beach to clean up.”

Steven took a deep breath, hesitation still evident on his face. He swallowed hard, almost shaking as he forced the words out of his mouth. “Does… does Garnet know... that Pearl… that Pearl’s in love with her?”

“Oh man,” Ruby whistled.

“The situation is really complicated...” Sapphire started.

The boy’s eyes shot over to her, cutting her off. “So you do know?”

“We know, Steven. Garnet knows,” Ruby said frankly, stifling a laugh. “Pearl’s good at a lot of things, but subtlety isn’t one of them.”

“Also she told us,” Sapphire added, elbowing her girlfriend reprimandingly.

The boy’s eyes widened. “She told you?!”

“She and Garnet have discussed it. And we have discussed it with her while separated, if that aspect would bother you.”

The boy looked down again, ashamed. “I’m sorry, guys… I know it’s none of my business.”

“You are a part of this family, in some ways it is your business. Especially if you’ve noticed it.”

Ruby flashed him a smile. “And don’t worry about Pearl! She’s okay.”

“But she seems so sad,” he admitted, letting his real concern about the situation show through. “So… lonely.”

“And you think she and Garnet would make a good couple, and that would make her happier?”

“I know Garnet’s already your relationship… I don’t mean…” 

Ruby got up, settling herself back down on Steven’s other side. “Look, we aren’t upset, okay? It’s all just not easy to explain in a way you’d understand.”

“I know, I’m just a kid,” he replied dejectedly.

“It’s not that. Even your dad never really understood. We’ve all known each other for thousands and thousands of years. Our relationships get a lot more complicated than human relationships ever have time to.”

“They care about each other a lot,” Sapphire said firmly. “We care about Pearl a lot. We try hard to always be there for her. Us as Garnet, and us as just ourselves. And I know it’s not always when you can see, so I hope you can feel better knowing that she does have someone.”

“A little.” The shrug that accompanied his statement was not convincing, especially with the threat of tears welling up in his eyes.

“Steven… I know you hear this a lot, but you’re so much like your mother.” The sincere look on Sapphire’s face made the boy’s expression soften. “I’d even say you’re more of a romantic than she was…. The thing is, gems live a very very long time. You’re one of us too, even if you haven’t lived that long yet. I think you have the full capacity to understand at least this much… Right now just isn’t the right time for something like that.”

“But Pearl understands,” Ruby added assuredly. “I know she’s sad, it hurts us too, but she has a lot of things to figure out on her own.”

“You don’t like it either?”

“Of course not!” The red gem leaned closer, giving him a reassuring, sad smile. “We’ve known her for so long… We love her. We don’t want her to be hurting.”

“It’s just hard to explain what that love means. You don’t have the context to really understand yet. I’m sure it’s very frustrating.”

But Steven shook his head, uncurling himself enough to wipe his eyes with the back of his arm. “No, I think I kind of get it. Just because stuff is really complicated doesn’t mean you don’t care about someone.”

“Exactly.” Sapphire smiled, moving forward to hug the boy. “You’re a good kid, Steven. Never stop being so compassionate and thoughtful, or afraid to share your thoughts. It’s your strength. I hope you know how proud we all are of you and the person you’ve become.”

A giggle broke through the boy’s depressed demeanor. “Aww, stop it!” he insisted, giving her a playful shove.

“She’s right,” Ruby said with a grin, “And you know it! Take it like a gem!”

Steven was about to shove her, too, when the creaking of the front door made him freeze. 

“Steven?” a voice called out, “It’s about time for you to go to bed…” Ruby and the boy both turned to watch Pearl make her way up the stairs. Her eyebrows raised to find the three of them sitting on the floor, video game abandoned. “What are you three even doing up here?”

“Aww, but it’s my birthday!” he whined, ignoring her question. “Can’t I stay up a little later?”

“Yeah, c’mon Pearly,” Ruby insisted, grinning, “Just one more hour won’t hurt.”

The tall gem’s gaze went from Ruby to Steven, then finally landed on Sapphire, who smiled back at her, crumbling any resolve she may have had. “...If it’s just one hour. A regular sleep schedule is important for a growing child! I’ll be back to check on you in--”

“Pearl,” Sapphire interrupted her, smile still wide on her face. “Why don’t you stay here with us? We were just talking about fusions.” It wasn’t a lie, exactly.

Steven’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! Pleeease?”

“Oh, alright,” she said, blushing slightly and taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Her blush only deepened when the boy crawled up onto her lap, the two other gems following him to take places at her sides. “So…” she asked, settling her arms around him, “What about fusions did you want to know?”


End file.
